Originally written by Matt Simmons on Small Business
For new and growing businesses with limited marketing budgets, a personal referral can be one of the best ways to pick up new business.
A referral is a business contact telling one of their own business contacts that they would recommend you, asking that person if they would be happy to hear from you directly, then passing their details to you if they say yes.
Just to be clear, a referral is not the same thing as a lead or even a recommendation.
Online enquiries can often be described as leads, but in truth a lead is any information which might help you towards a sale. Offline, that can be something as small as a tip-off about someone who might be interested in your product or service. A recommendation could be a good review online or a passing positive remark, which is great, but doesn’t actively bring a customer to your door.
A referral, however, is a warmed-up opportunity to do business – a personal introduction to someone who has expressed a specific interest in hearing from you and is awaiting your call. Effectively, it’s a lead and a recommendation combined.
The advantages of referrals over leads or